Heidi Betts - www.heidibetts.com

grasping at straws

I have to admit, I'm drawing a blank on a blog topic for today. I don't even have anything interesting to report from my every day life...which we all know is usually soooo exciting LOL...because I've mostly been napping. I swear, every time I turn around, I'm nodding off again. No doubt due to these pills I'm taking for the sinus infection. The doctor & pharmacist both warned me they might make me drowsy, & I guess they weren't kidding. :-p

I'm really enjoying the discussing on chick lit, erotica, & your reading preferences, tho. What fun! Back before they even came out with the Blaze line, I used to think "the hotter, the better." I've never been a big fan of low-level sexual tension between the hero & heroine or the types of stories where they only hold hands & kiss, then shut the door on anything else. But the hotter things have become over the years, I have to admit that I'm starting to lean back in the other direction. Oh, I still like strong, intense sexual tension. Absolutely. And I like a nice, hot love scene. I read Brava & Blaze & that sort of thing. But I've also read a few that, in my opinion, went just a little too far outside my comfort zone.

I guess since I have no plans to change the way I write any time in the near future, it's nice to know you won't be disappointed if I don't jump on the erotica bandwagon & just keep writing my semi-hot Desires. :-D

I also don't have any more neat questions to pose at the moment, so I'll just ask you this: What are you reading right now? Anything really good that you'd like to recommend?

I'm still working on No Escape by Heather Lowell & Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper. What can I say? I've been a slow reader lately. :-p But I am thinking about digging out some "theme" reads for St. Patrick's Day. Something Irish or Scottish (hey, close enough!) or with some neat, mystical tone.

How about you?

now let's talk about erotica

Our discussion about chick lit over the weekend was really interesting. I loved reading your opinions & what you like or don't like about the genre.

But a lot of the comments got me thinking about how popular erotica or "romantica" (erotic romance) is right now. From some of the things you guys said, it sounds like the one man/one woman, monogamous relationship is really important to you when it comes to the books you buy and read.

So how do you feel about the trend these days that's moving romance into the red-hot zone? Are you excited about so many publishers starting new erotica lines...Harlequin Spice, Avon Red, Kenstington Aphrodisia, etc.? Do you want more stories that start out with the focus strongly on sex and maybe moving toward romance by the end?

What about multiple partners? It's my understanding that these new erotica lines won't require the one man/one woman thing, but are really & truly going to be erotica, in all its many forms. So, does that even qualify as romance?

Or are you a little disappointed by this trend & wish the genre would stick more to the idea of romance before sex? Are you okay with super-hot love scenes as long as they're done within the boundaries of one man and one woman building a relationship? Or do you prefer authors to tone it down a little?

I can't wait to hear what you have to say on this one! :-D

quote of the day

I want women to be liberated & still be able to have a nice ass & shake it.
--Shirley Maclaine

can we talk about chick lit for a minute?

Given some recent books that I've read & movies that I've seen, I am thinking chick lit is not for me. I am in no way trying to bad-mouth the genre or the authors who write it. These books are huge sellers & the ones probably most often made into movies. So, you know, they have to be doing something right. :-)

But personally, I don't get it. For instance, in the Bridget Jones movies, I just could not believe how stupid this woman was. Or the office lecher she let use her...knowing full well what he was like ahead of time; it's not like he fooled her into thinking he was a nice guy then turned into a womanizing jerk. Or some of the ridiculous situations she let herself get into. Now, I understand that some of it was meant to be funny. Problem was, it wasn't. Not for me, anyway. I guess I just don't think that humor based on stupid decisions is funny. (But give me a good bathroom joke a la Dumb & Dumber & I'll laugh for hours. Hey, I already said there was no accounting for taste!)

I also don't like the way the heroines of chick lit are portrayed. Stupid decision making aside, a lot of times they seem to sleep with just about every guy who comes down the pike. I'm sorry, but it's true. While watching Le Divorce recently (the Kate Hudson movie, based on a chick lit novel), the woman met a guy at a friend's house & two seconds later was shown in bed with him. Literally two seconds later. Now, I get that there might have been "editing" done to the film, but still. There was no conversation, no heated looks, no dating or getting-to-know-you phase. Just, "Hi, how are you? Whoops, my panties fell off!" And then, a bit later in the movie, she goes out to lunch with an older guy who is a notorious womanizer...& ends up being his mistress in about two seconds flat. (Again, pretty much literally.) They didn't even look like they liked each other. And keep in mind that she's become the one man's mistress while still (supposedly) seeing the first guy.

Nope, nope, nope, I just do not get it. I think this is one of the reasons I like "regular" romance so much. One man, one woman. No matter what happens between them or throughout the story, you know they're only going to sleep with each other & will wind up together in the end. I like that. I need that. It's a story element that speaks to me & that I think I need in order to really enjoy a book or movie.

Again, I am not trying to bash the chick lit genre, I am merely pointing out why it is not one that I gravitate toward...& why straight romance is. I'm sure that not everyone likes the same type of reading material I do. For instance, I am a sucker for a really dark, gritty, gory romantic suspense. I remember reading a Kay Hooper book a few years ago where the cops found a jar of eyeballs in the trunk of the killer's car. Now, anytime I relay this story to someone, they cringe & squirm & beg me to stop talking about it. But do you know what my reaction was when I read that scene? I laughed. Not in a "oh, gee, multiple murder is so darn amusing" way, but in an "oh, cool, I was definitely not expecting that!" way.

I love that stuff, but I've never been a fan of Sex & the City or anything like that. I don't get the obsession with designer clothes & shoes, or the serial dating thing. Like they say, to each his own.

But I'd like to hear your opinions on the chick lit phenomenon. Am I missing something? Do you adore chick lit...& if so, why? Is there some you've enjoyed & some you haven't? Give me some examples, some suggestions...or tell me why you prefer the one woman/one man straight romances (the way I do) better.

I'm all ears...& no designer shoes, unless Nike is considered a designer. :-)

hanging my head in shame

Hi, all! I've been a bad, bad blogger, & offer my most sincere apologies for not posting the last three days.

If it makes any difference, I haven't even been home since Monday. Not much, anyway. And when I was, I was either getting ready to take off again or too tired to turn on the computer & pretty much just fell into bed.

Along with various appointments, I was basically running around signing copies of SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION wherever I could find them. The good news is that I didn't find very many. :-D Some places were even sold out entirely. Yay!

And then I had to see the doctor because I've been sniffing & snorting & basically driving everyone around me--including myself--nuts. This has been going on for almost two months, & I really thought it was just a minor allergy or sinus irritation that would go away on its own. I did take some over-the-counter sinus medicine, which worked for a few hours each time, but as soon as the pill wore off, I was right back where I started. Then one day last week, I realized I'd gone thru a box & a half of the stuff! (The directions say not to take the medicine for more than seven days--whoops!--so I knew I was in trouble.)

I called the doctor, really hoping he'd just call in a prescription or tell me there was a lot of this going around & it would pass in a few more weeks. Instead, he said I hadn't been in for three or four years (see! I'm usually as healthy as a horse!) & he'd need to see me, especially with the symptoms I was describing. Okay, fine. So I added another day of appointments to my calendar & headed over there. And sure enough, I've got a sinus infection. It didn't come with many of the symptoms people usually experience, but I guess it's there all the same, & I now get to take two different pills for a while that are both the size of my thumb. Ick. But like I said, I feel fine...I just sound like a camel with walking pneumonia. :-P

I have a bunch of catching up to do today, & my poor kitty cats are all needy from having been left alone for so long. They're not used to that! But I'll try to get back on track & posting on a regular basis. Promise :-)

how's this for tooting my own horn?

Good morning, all! (Or should I say good afternoon? LOL I was actually up early, it's just taken me a while to get here.) How was your weekend?

I spent mine...as you can probably guess...with "the dreaded taxes. " But now I'm done. Finished, fini, kaput. Receipts are stacked & organized, figures are tallied, all of my ducks are (I believe) in a row. Thank God. I'll be more than happy not to have to deal with that again until next year.

While working on those, I was also going back & forth with one of the people who works on my promotional items. A very talented lady by the name of Su Kopil at Earthly Charms. (See part of the dedication in SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION...she is truly a lifesaver.) This time, we're going for something a bit more fun & colorful than in the past. We're also capitalizing on a fabulous quote Joyfully Reviewed gave me recently, calling me "The Queen of Silhouette Desire!" (Love, love, love them for that. :-D)

So what do you think?

My mother says I look like I was born to wear a crown. Well, duh. I've been telling her for years that I should be treated like royalty. :-P

And last but not least, I finished Once Upon a Pillow by Christina Dodd & Connie Brockwa

y last night before bed, while watching Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on TV. The book was good & the movie was actually better than I'd expected. Although, I have to admit, the first Terminator movie is definitely my favorite simply because Michael Biehn is in it. Hubba hubba.

Currently reading Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper & No Escape by Heather Lowell

Wimbledon (the movie, not the championship)

I watched Wimbledon (with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany) last night while working on the dreaded taxes. I didn't think I would like it (tennis really isn't my thing & I hadn't heard much about the movie when it first came out) but it was on TV (Dish Network is giving us a free trial of the Encore Love channel), so I thought I'd give it a try.

Well, let me tell you, this film is fabulous! It may just be my favorite new romantic comedy. This movie is so cute & romantic. And, yes, it takes place in the tennis (or rather, Wimbledon) world, but it's really about the romance. The hero is adorable...& who can resist those English accents? :-)

So if you get the chance to see this one, I highly, highly recommend it. I think I might even watch it again today. After all, I've still got more receipts to get thru. :-p

I also watched Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, but these books & movies do nothing for me. Her klutziness & idiotic decision-making just seem ridiculous to me. (With apologies to anyone who is a Bridget Jones fan. :-)) Then again, Renee Zellweger has never really done anything for me, so maybe that's part of the problem.

Oh! And this might come a little late for those of you who want to watch it, but I just discovered that Night Sins is on Lifetime. Right now--3pm to 7pm (EST). This is another great movie, albeit made-for-TV, & is based on Tami Hoag's book of the same title.

So I guess I know what I'm watching today. Good thing it's cold outside & I've got nowhere to go. :-D

has anybody seen my eyebrows?

I don't know where in the world you are, but here in Central Pennsylvania, it is windy. And I don't mean little puffs of breeze...I mean batten down the hatches, your lawn furniture is about to move to Arkansas.

I did see on the news yesterday that our area was under a "High Wind Warning" advisory. The counties on the map were bright red--maybe that should have clued me in. And then last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I could hear that things were picking up outside.

How windy is it? I'm so glad you asked. :-p

It's so windy, birds are flying backwards.

It's so windy that the huge pine tree in my neighbor's backyard is swaying like a sorority girl after too many beer bongs.

It's so windy that if I went outside, I do, indeed, believe my eyebrows would blow off. (Not to mention my hair, coat, & any stray jewelry I happened to be wearing.)

It's so windy, bumper stickers are at risk of being ripped off of cars.

And last but not least, it's so windy that Katie Holmes could be knocked down by Tom Cruise.

ROTF All right, that was totally uncalled for. Not to mention plain old mean. But I can't help it, they give me the creeps. Am I the only one who thinks that hook-up is just wrong? Never mind that Tom is acting weirder by the minute, but he's going on--what?--50 & she looks about 12. Shudder.

website updates & a new cover!

My website has been updated, & quite a few things have been added... A new Letter to Readers, a new contest, and the new cover for MR. AND MISTRESS. If you have a few minutes, bop around & see if you can spot all the changes. :-)

And, just for fun, let's see if I can manage to post a smaller version of my new artwork here.

Ta-da! What do you think? I like it. It's not as sexy as some of the covers I've gotten, but it's certainly classy & kind of intriguing. And I think that suits The Elliotts to a T.

I'm still doing the Q&A at eHarlequin, so if you have any pressing questions about the author/editor relationship, be sure get over there either today or tomorrow before I disappear back into the mists. :-)

And the Tuesday night chat at Writerspace was a blast! I still can't believe it, but I was the only Desire author to show up! If anything, I would have expected all of the authors to be there, but very few readers--after all, it was Valentine's Day. But we had a great time. (Didn't we, Jennifer? :-)) We chatted about SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION & cats & men & chocolate...& even getting stranded on a desert island with one of my heroes. (I picked Connor, not only because he's hot, but because he's in construction...if anyone could build us a decent shelter & climb a tree for coconuts, it's Connor Riordan. :-D)

Wednesday afternoon was also a Desire chat at eHarlequin. And I intended to drop by, really I did. I actually tried rather valiantly for about 30mins. But this new Mozilla Firefox I'm using apparently requires a special plug-in for that sort of thing, & even tho I started to download it, it just didn't work out. :-p Maybe I'll have better luck next month.

I did find out that SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION is #6 on the Waldenbooks Series Romance Bestseller List this week. (Small yippee & jumping up & down.) It's not #1, but it still made the list, so I'm happy.

And now it's off to work. I still haven't gotten my taxes done, even tho I organized my receipts & they've been staring at me with utter loathing all week. :-P

question of the week

How many of you watched American Idol last night? I did, even tho I normally only watch the first few episodes to hear how badly some of these people sing at the initial auditions. (I know, I'm just a big ol' meanie. But, really, have you heard some of them? Can't they hear themselves?)

If you did see last night's episode, then you couldn't have missed the speeches the twins--Terrell & Derrell?--made. And the fact that one of them walked off after mistakenly thinking his brother had been cut.

They went back & apologized...grovelled, really...& the judges did let them back in.

But here's my question:

Would you have let them back into the competition?

If it had been your choice, would you have given the one who walked off another chance? Or would you have said--much like Simon did at first--"Look, I'm sick of the speeches & the whining. Get out."?

Would you have cut them both just to be done with it, or only the one who had quit prematurely?

Or would you have given them both a second chance the way Simon, Paula, & Randy did?

Enquiring minds want to know. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled with romance, and I'm sending cyber roses, candy, & bubbly out to everyone. :-D

Of course, you had to know that the most exciting thing about this Valentine's Day for me is the fact that The Pretender, Season 3 is being released. (Hey, you celebrate your way & I'll celebrate mine! LOL) I haven't actually gotten my hands on these DVDs yet, but they're on my list.

And how cool is this? I discovered that yet another foreign edition of one of my books is now floating around out there. This time, it's a Dutch version of BLAME IT ON THE BLACKO

UT. The title is Verrassing in de lift, which I had this sneaking suspicion meant "sex in the elevator." But when I looked it up via a translation website, it turned out to be "surprise in the lift." Yep, it was a surprise, all right. :-) Anyway, here's the cover--it's another one I just love & would be happy to have show up on any of my books, U.S. releases or otherwise. If you can't see it very well here, you can visit eHarlequin Holland at www.eharlequin.nl. Do a search for my name & Verrassing in de lift should come up. Then you have to click on that to get to the actual cover & book description.

Sorry, I just think it's so neat to see all these new versions of my books & the new covers. I got a couple of foreign editions of my historicals while I was at Leisure--Russian and Danish or Norwegian, I think--but never this many. It's just cool. Then again, I've always been easily amused. :-p

Off to play with my ball of string...

SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION has been sighted!

So...how's the weather where you are? Here in Central PA, we got a bit of snow--maybe 2-3 inches--but nothing even close to what I hear other parts of the East Coast are dealing with. Cities like New York, Boston, & Philadelphia are apparently trying to dig out from under 26+ inches. Holy cow! I hope I don't need to talk to my agent or editor today because they may not even be able to get to their offices for a day or two.

On another--warmer :-)--note, I've been waiting rather impatiently for SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION to start showing up, & apparently it has. This first sighting came from a Wal-Mart in Texas, so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before Connor & Beth pop up everywhere. Whoo-hoo! I hope you'll all keep your eyes peeled, pick up a copy, & maybe let me know when you spot the book in stores near you.

Aside from that, I now have a direct link that will take you to the Q&A I'm doing all this week at eHarlequin.com: http://community.eharlequin.com/webx?50@@4a836fed. Or if you're using the instructions I posted the other day, find the Silhouette Series page, then scroll down until you see a list of discussions. Near the top of that list will be a folder marked "Q&A" & right below that will be a link to "The Care & Feeding of Editors: Learning to Communicate."

I also got a sneak peek at the cover of my May Silhouette Desire, MR. AND MIST

RESS, but I can't seem to get it to post here, so I'll have to share that with you later. :-( However, I did discover that the cover for the Spanish language edition of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN is now up at BN.com & Amazon. Cool. And that I do think I can get to post. :-) I really like it. I pretty much envision Ethan & Gwen looking just like this; so much so that this could even have been the original cover & I wouldn't have complained.

In other news, I finished Ready or Not by Meg Cabot Saturday night & am about halfway through Once Upon a Pillow by Christina Dodd & Connie Brockway. But I'm still at the very beginning of No Escape by Heather Lowell. I have a feeling that one is going to take me a while; it's thick & it's a romantic suspense, so it will require a bit of concentration.

And last but not least, there will be a Desire Authors chat at www.Writerspace.com tomorrow (Tuesday, February 14, 2006) at 9pm EST. A Valentine's Day treat! All of the Desire authors with books out this month are invited, & I'm certainly planning to be there, so I hope you'll drop by. When you get to the main Writerspace page, simply click on the "Chat Rooms" button at the top & then on the appropriate link on that page & it will take you to the chat room. See you there!

quote of the day

Mother Theresa's Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends, and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

I'll fly away...or maybe not

This week has been all about catching up & making arrangements for upcoming events.

First, I got my synopsis for BLACKMAILED INTO BED (that's my working title only; it could change before the book actually comes out) written & polished & sent to my editor. She approved it already with an enthusiastic "This is totally on target. Get started." So now I just need to get started. :-p

Then I put together some website updates for later this month...including a new giveaway for the contest page, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Registered for two conferences, made hotel reservations for a speaking engagement I'm doing in April, and bought plane tickets for the trip to RWA National in Atlanta this July.

At least, I think I bought tickets. This is the first time I've ever tried to reserve them via the airline's website & I honestly didn't know what the heck I was doing. I had to pick my own seats (yeah, like I have a clue) & then when I clicked "continue" it went straight to a "Thank You!" receipt page instead of asking for last-minute confirmation. (Ah, technology. You gotta love it. Or not.) But the itinerary looks right, so I'm not going to worry too much. Yet.

If I don't make it to the conference because of this, tho, everyone will at least know that I tried. I really, really did. And then next year, I'll go back to using a travel agent (i.e. someone who knows what they're doing :-p).

And now...shudder...I'm off to deal with taxes. Ugh. I think I'd rather try to reserve airline tickets again.

Currently reading: Ready or Not by Meg Cabot & No Escape by Heather Lowell

directions to my eHarlequin Q&A

All right, I admit it...even tho I agreed to do this Q&A session at eHarlequin on "The Care & Feeding of Editors: Learning to Communicate," I had no idea where to actually find the darn thing. (Navigating websites & message boards isn't exactly my strong suit. :-p)

But last night, as I was surfing around, I quite happily stumbled upon the right page. So in case anyone was having the same trouble I was...or just to save you from having trouble at all, here are the "directions":

Go to http://www.eharlequin.com (duh :-))

Click on the "talk" link at the bottom of the page, where you'll see the three options--"read," "talk," & "shop." This will take you to the "eHarlequin Community" page.

To the right, there's a list of options labeled "Join our discussions on..." From that list, click on the second one down, "Silhouette Series."

If you scroll down on the Silhouette Series page, you'll see the announcement for my Q&A session--in bright red letters, no less. :-)

At the moment, there's no active link connected to the topic...I assume because they aren't yet accepting questions for me to answer...but if you can get that far, then I'm sure the rest will become self-explanatory come Monday. (I hope so, otherwise I'll get lost. :-p)

Remember, I'll be over there on & off from Monday, February 13th thru Friday, February 17th. I hope to see some of you asking interesting (but not too challenging LOL) questions.

the story of my 88 cent underwear

My dad was always fond of saying, "You get what you pay for." Meaning that if you pay a little more for something, you might just get a higher quality product. And if you go for the cheap, you're likely to get a piece of crap.

So about a year ago, I found some really cute underwear at Wal-Mart for only 88 cents a pair. What a deal, right? I bought one in every color/pattern. Well, it wasn't long before my dad's words started ringing in my ears. Almost as soon as I began wearing them (& even more so each time I washed them) these 88 cent underwear began to fall apart. The seams came loose & the elastic started to unravel. (And, yes, I did get them in the right size; this is definitely a quality control issue, not a you-can't-squeeze-a-whale-into-a-soda-can-&-expect-the-aluminum-to-hold issue.)

Now, most people would probably just throw the darn things away & buy some new, better quality underwear. But, alas, I can't do that. Environmentalist that I am, I can't throw anything away until it's well & truly worn out & has no other possible use. Even when these underwear can no longer be worn as underwear, they'll likely be turned into dust rags. But every time they unravel a little more, I think, My 88 cent underwear are down to about 72 cents.

Well, I did laundry this morning, & when I started pulling things out of the washer, I immediately noticed a big, long thread woven in & around all the other clothes. Every time I pulled out another handful of laundry, there was that thread, further twisted around the next bunch. Finally, I tracked it down, & sure enough it originated at a pair of these cheap-o underwear. It was a lot of unravelling, & I think I can officially say that my 88 cent underwear are now down to about 46 cents.

But they're still good! I can still get a few more wears out of them, really I can. I just hope I don't end up in an accident while wearing my ratty old 88 cent underwear or I'll have quite a bit of explaining to do. And the next time I go shopping, I'm going to remember: you get what you pay for.

question of the week

This week's question is prompted by one of the questions I just answered for a Q&A at DesireAuthors.com.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book to keep you occupied while you waited to be rescued, what would it be & why?

At least over at the DesireAuthors website I got to pick 10 books to have with me on that deserted island. This is much harder. I would even say it borders on cruel.

One book? I'm not sure I could pick just one book. But if I had to, I think it would probably be either Rebecca Brandewyne's The Outlaw Hearts (which I've already read mutiple times & could totally read a few more) or something by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I'm just not sure what...It Had to be You? Nobody's Baby But Mine? Heaven, Texas? Kiss An Angel? Lady Be Good? This Heart of Mine? Any one of those would be fine with me, but I'd be much happier with all of them. :-)

And why? Because they're so darn good, of course. The Outlaw Hearts is one of the first romances I read & it hit all the right notes with me. And Susan Elizabeth Phillips never disappoints; I love her humor & her characters & her sexual tension. (And the hot football player heroes don't hurt, either.)

ha! told you so

What did I tell you? A couple of hours after I whined about being stuck on my plot for Blackmailed into Bed, an idea popped into my head...just the way I knew it would. :-) I wasn't even thinking about the story at the time, but--boom!--there it was.

That seems to be how all the best ideas come to me. If I'm actively concentrating on trying to come up with something, my brain gets stage fright & clams up. But if I go on with my life & get busy doing something routine, my brain relaxes & starts working again.

And this new idea is just about perfect, if I do say so myself. It solves my "too short" problem, as well as giving me a way to introduce the heroine's sister, whom I'd like make the heroine of the next book, if at all possible. Yay!

Now I just have to incorporate the new stuff into my synopsis, but that shouldn't be too hard. I'm betting I'll have it done before I go to bed tonight. Maybe even before NCIS comes on. :-)

sometimes plotting sucks

There, I said it. And it's true.

For the last two days, I've been wracking my brain to think of one tiny extra plot point that I can use for my next story. The plotting of the actual storyline went well, & I really think I'm going to love the characters & book once I start writing. I even got the synopsis done, but it's a little short, which is why I feel like I need something else. (If the synopsis is too short, then I could end up with a manuscript that's too short, & that leads to panic attacks & brain spasms. I'd just as soon avoid those, if at all possible. :-p)

I've come up with a couple of ideas, but they're either too similar to something that already happens in the story or feel sort of "disconnected" from the rest of the plot. Of course, as soon as I post this note, I'll think of something--which is why I'm doing it. LOL

On the up side, I got another great review for SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION. It won't be posted on their website for a few more days, but Patti Fischer of Romance Reviews Today said:

"Heidi Betts is quickly becoming a fan favorite for Silhouette Desire, and SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION demonstrates why. Don't miss this heart-warming tale of long ago lovers reunited."

Yay! I'm so excited about the reception Connor & Beth seem to be getting so far. The next test--& probably the most important one--will be to see what readers think of their story.

Back me up here, people. When you finally get the chance to read SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, tell me it's good or I could become even more neurotic than I already am. And nobody wants that, believe me :-P

Monday guest blogger

A note from Beth Curtis of SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION:

Well, my life just keeps getting better & better.

He's here. Connor. He's here, in my house. Well, my brother's house now, but I grew up here, so it's more my house than it is his! Apparently, he had a fight with his girlfriend at the reception last night & she kicked him out. (Ha! Okay, I have to admit, I'm kind of tickled by that.) But then Nick had to go & tell Connor he could stay here Nick & Karen get back from their honeymoon. The only problems is, I was going to stay here until it's time to fly back to California.

And as much as I'd like to leave, it looks like we might be stuck here, together (shudder!) for the foreseeable future because there isn't a single damn hotel room available anywhere in this town or the next, & a big storm is brewing, so I can't even trade my tickets in for an earlier flight. Believe me, I know. I spend the morning on the phone, begging someone to help me get out of this house & away from him.

Of all the lousy luck.

Connor, of course, finds this all highly amusing. He has this "can't we just get along while we're here?" attitude that makes me want to strangle him. In fact, if you hear on the news that a man was found murdered in his best friend's house by his best friend's sister, you can be pretty sure I'll be the one being hauled away in handcuffs. But I promise you, it will be justifiable homicide.

BC

...& the Steelers win the Superbowl!

All right, I admit I'm not a very big sports fan. The only time I start to maybe get interested in watching a football game is if I'm reading one of Susan Elizabeth Phillips's "Chicago Stars" books. :-)

But I'm a Pennsylvania girl, & I have a lot of family in Pittsburgh, so we are Steelers fans. (My uncles are actually more than fans...bona fide fanatics might be a better way to describe them. LOL) And even tho I didn't watch the game last night, I tuned in every once in a while to check the score, then did a big victory dance when I found out they won.

So, yippee! Go, Steelers! We rule!

quote of the day

John Wilkes: "I predict, sir, that you will die by hanging, or from some loathsome disease."

Earl of Sandwich: "That depends, my dear sir, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."

I'm having an affair

Yes, it's true. It's not something I'm proud of & it's not meant to be a forever kind of thing, but...sob!...beginning Monday, I'll be cheating on this blog with...hiccup!...another blog.

All week (Monday, February 6th thru Friday, February 10th) I'll be the "Author in the Spotlight" over at www.DesireAuthors.com. I'll be blogging daily, & tho some of what I post there may be a repeat of what you see (or have seen) here, I hope you'll drop by to check it out, anyway. Something new might pop up, you never know. :-) Especially since I don't even know what I'll be blogging about yet.

And then the following week (Monday, February 13th thru Friday, February 17th)...I'm such a tramp!...I'll be doing a Q&A forum at www.eHarlequin.com. The topic is "The Care & Feeding of Editors" & will be all about the dos & don'ts of the author/editor relationship, talking to editors, etc. So if you have any questions on that subject, be sure to hop on over to eHarlequin, starting Monday, to post them. I'll do my best to answer everything I can & offer suggestions where applicable.

After that, I will try to break off this affair that I'm having, try to go back to being a one-blog woman. Sigh. If I can. If the sly seduction of two blogs & a message board haven't turned me completely wanton.

:-P :-P :-P

Currently reading: Once Upon a Pillow by Christina Dodd & Connie Brockway
and Confiscated Conception by Delores Fossen

fun phone call

Got a call from my editor this morning that turned out to be really fun & exciting.

First, she told me she'd read BEDDED THEN WED, which I just turned in, & "really, really enjoyed it." She said it had good pacing, that the story held together really well, & she thinks it might be one of my best yet. Yay! I would have been happy just knowing she liked the story, but I was tickled pink to hear the rest.

Then we discussed some plans for the future, which included a tentative scheduling for the next book (the one I've been calling Blackmailed into Bed) in early 2007...an invitation to do one of the books in an upcoming Dynasties continuity...another stand-alone for later in 2007...and a trilogy/miniseries to be released three months in a row sometime in 2008.

Oh, boy. That sounds like an awful lot of work to me. LOL Especially that "three months in a row" thing. But I'm not going to worry about it now. I'm sure we'll be able to map out a do-able schedule, & I'm excited to know I'll be able to do that many more Desires over the next couple years.

My editor also mentioned that (she thinks, at least) I got a great cover for my May Desire, MR. AND MISTRESS. So now I'll be on pins & needles until I can get a glimpse of it myself. :-D I can't wait!

new contest on my website

That's right, I've got another contest running at HeidiBetts.com this month. This one is for Valentine's Day, & I'll be giving away this set of smoochin' teddy bears. (They really are so cute & snuggly! :-D)

For details, visit http://www.heidibetts.com/contest.html

Good luck & Happy Valentine's Day!

more movie mania

As I've mentioned before, I've been attempting to catch up on my movie viewing since I got three months of free HBO, Cinemax, & Showtime for signing up with Dish Network. Sadly, that three months has come to an end & I am back to just regular television. :-( I think I'm going thru withdrawal. Even tho Dish provides way more channels than my old cable, I still got really used to having those movies available 24hrs a day.

But, alas, here is my list of The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Or maybe I should say, The Ones I Really Liked, The Ones That Were Just Okay, & The Ones I Thought Sucked. Really bad.

The Good (a.k.a. The Ones I Really Liked):
Shaun of the Dead
Taxi
Hidalgo (I didn't expect to like this one at all; I almost didn't even watch it. But I do like Viggo Mortensen, so I thought I'd give it a try. So glad I did! I loved it! Who knew a movie about a man, a horse, a big ol' desert could be so interesting? :-))
Written in Blood
Jersey Girl
Mona Lisa Smile

The Bad (a.k.a. The Ones That Were Just Okay):
The Punisher
Love Actually (A little scattered, but kinda good--actually :-))
Anchorman: Legend of Ron Burgundy (I love Will Farrell, but this one did nothing for me, it was just stupid.)
Starsky & Hutch
Daredevil
Elektra
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (This one had Oded Fehr in it. Need I say anything more? I watched it more than once just for that, even tho the actual story didn't do much for me.)
I Heart Huckabees (Okay, I heard was awful, but I actually really liked it. Probably because the main character reminded me a little too much--frighteningly--of myself. :-p)
Stepford Wives (Eh. It did have one very funny line in it, tho: “This book teaches us how to celebrate the birth of our Savior with yarn." LOL)
Valentine (Good suspense. I figured out the ending, but it was still good & creepy.)
The Girl Next Door
White Noise
Monkeybone
Orgazmo
Collateral
Phone Booth
Spider-Man 2
Cheaper by the Dozen
Saved!
Bubble Boy
Mad City

The Ugly (a.k.a. Ones I Thought Sucked. Really bad.):
Spanglish (I thought this one was going to be really good. I'd actually been wanting to see it for quite a while. But it was just awful; stupid, nonsensical, & not even funny.)
Endless Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
A Mighty Wind
The Big Bounce (I love Owen Wilson, but this one was just stupid.)
Intolerable Cruelty (Again, I love George Clooney, & this one at least had a couple of cute lines in it, but woof.)
In Good Company
Laws of Attraction
Closer (Boy, did this one bite the big one. What was Julia Roberts thinking?)
Envy
A Home at the End of the World

More to come...oooh, aren't you excited now? LOL...since I still have about 30 movies taped & waiting to be watched.

heidi's blog

Previous Posts

Archives